Senate education committee advances multiple education bills; extends workers’ compensation for recent grads

A joint hearing of the Senate Committee on Education and the committees on Labor and Technology and other panels on Feb. 5, 2025, in Room 229 considered a package of education bills. The committees voted to pass Senate Bill 420, which would extend Department of Education workers’ compensation coverage through July 31 for newly graduated high school students participating in DOE‑sponsored work‑based learning programs; the committees also moved forward a set of bills on school meal pricing, school capital planning, early learning board membership and early‑educator stipend accounting, and deferred a measure on cell‑phone rules to the Board of Education.

The most immediate outcome was action on Senate Bill 420. The bill would make newly graduated high school students eligible for DOE workers’ compensation during the summer after graduation while they participate in DOE‑sponsored internships and other work‑based learning. Deputy Superintendent Tammy Chun testified the department stands in support, said the extension would cover students through July 31, and estimated the program could reach “somewhere in the ballpark of maybe 50 to 100 in the first year.” Chun said DOE has not recorded prior workers’ compensation incidents for interns and that the department’s current workers’ compensation funding would cover any costs tied to the extension. The committees passed SB 420 with amendments; the education committee’s recommendation was adopted (recorded as five ayes). The committees also deferred the bill’s effective date to July 1, 2050 for later budgetary reconciliation.

Why it matters: Supporters said the change would smooth the transition from high school to the workforce by keeping students covered while participating in structured, DOE‑sponsored internship experiences. Committee members asked how many students would be affected, whether unpaid interns would be covered, and…